a catch.” She raised her hand to ward off any censure. “I know. It doesn’t matter what I think. It’s your life.”
Erin leaned closer to her aunt and lowered her voice so the children wouldn’t hear their conversation. “Tess, the more I try to keep him out of my thoughts, the more he’s the star attraction. We both know he’s a great guy. And he’s good-looking, too.”
“Terrible things to say about the lad. Just terrible.”
Erin ignored her aunt’s teasing barb. “I don’t know where I want the relationship to go. I haven’t been in a serious relationship since Jack’s father. We both know how that turned out.”
“Relationship? Lass, you haven’t been on a serious date. I’ve been wondering what it was going to take for you to remember you’re a healthy, young woman and not just a mom,” Tess whispered.
Erin leaned closer. “He kissed me last night.”
“Did he, now?” Tess grinned. “Was it a good kiss?”
Erin’s cheeks flooded with warmth. She looked directly into her aunt’s eyes. “It was a please-don’t-stop-I’m-melting-right-into-the-floor kiss.”
“I had me one of them melting kisses once,” Tess said. “I’ve been kissing everything that moves ever since looking for another.”
Both women laughed out loud.
“Tess, it was like something you read about in fairy tales. It scared me to death.”
“Scared you? Why?”
Erin struggled to find the right words. “When I’m with Tony, I don’t feel in control of my life. I feel vulnerable and uncertain.”
“Control? Is that what you want? A neat little life where everything’s predictable?” Tess reached across and clasped Erin’s hands. “But life isn’t neat and tidy, now, is it? There’s laughin’ and loving. Disappointments. Tears. The best you can hope is to have faith and ask God to give you the strength to survive life’s ups and downs. But control?” Tess chuckled. “My mother used to say, ‘You plan and God laughs.’”
Jack pulled on his mother’s sleeve. “Mom, can we go play now?”
“Did you eat all your cereal?”
“Uh-huh,” Amy said, the last mouthful of cereal garbling her speech.
“Okay.” She lifted Amy off the chair. “But don’t make a mess.”
“We won’t,” they chorused and scurried away.
“We can learn a lot from those sweet children,” Tess said. “They’re filled with such joy and energy.” Tess patted Erin’s hand. “Live your life, child. Time is a thief and life passes before you know it.”
“So you think I should take a chance with Tony?”
Tess rolled her eyes. “Haven’t you heard a word I’ve been saying?”
“Okay, Tess.” Erin laughed and gestured for her to stop. “I get the picture.”
“I’ve been thinking,” Tess said. “I’ll be visitin’ that nice Mr. Fitzgerald after dinner tonight. We’ve been flirtin’ over the backyard fence long enough. It’s about time I find out if he can melt one into the floorboards.”
Erin’s eyes widened.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Tess fussed. “I’m still breathing, aren’t I?”
Both women laughed and continued to enjoy their morning coffee.
NINE
Tony gestured to the chair beside his desk. “Have a seat.” He scrutinized the man, tall, clean-cut, expensive suit and shoes. And wanting to be anywhere else but here. “I’m Detective Marino. How can I help you, Mr…?”
“Dr. Robert Stone.” The man squirmed in his chair. “This is incredibly awkward.”
Tony waited, knowing silence was a powerful interrogation technique.
“I’m probably being foolish,” Stone said. “I’m sure nothing’s wrong.”
Everything about the man’s demeanor screamed otherwise. Tony smiled encouragement but remained silent.
“My date didn’t meet me last night. I’ve called her multiple times, even drove to her home, but she wasn’t there.”
Before Tony could respond, Stone said, “I know it sounds juvenile but Carol wouldn’t stand me up. She knew I was planning something special. She just wouldn’t have done that.”
The name caught Tony’s attention. “Carol?”
“Carol Henderson.”
“She’s a nurse at the hospital?” Tony tensed.
Dr. Stone raised an eyebrow. “Yes, do you know her?”
“I met her recently.” Tony picked up a pen. “You say you had a special date?”
“Yes. We were supposed to meet at eight o’clock at the gazebo beside the Granada Bridge.”
“If the date was special, why meet her? Why didn’t you pick her up?”
Dr. Stone shifted in his seat. “She spent the day with friends. It was easier to agree to meet.”
Tony’s suspicions grew. Something more was going on here. He’d been lied to by the best and this guy wasn’t one of them.
The doctor lowered his gaze. “Carol spent the day with her best friend, Erin O’Malley.”
Tony leaned back in his seat. “Have you called to check if she’s seen Carol?”
Stone looked at his hands. “I was hoping you might do